Flying machine



Ian. 5, 19 2. HENRY 1,839,556

FLYING MACHI NE Filed June 3, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet l (liter/"ego.

J. J. HENRY FLYING MACHINE Filed June 3, 1931 Jan. 5, 1932.

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J. .J. HENRY FLYING MACHINE Jan. 5, 1932.

Filed June 3, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 fitter/"a o. f

Patented Jan. 5, 1932 NEED STATES JOHN J. HENRY, OF MASON, ILLINOIS FLYING MACHINE Continuation of application Serial No. 446,628, filed April 23, 1930. This application filed June 3, 1931.

Serial No. 541,921.

y This application is a continuation of my flying machine application Serial No. 446,628,

I to improve generally and to enhance the utility of devices of that type to which the invention appertains. p v

With the above and other objects in view,

a which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention residesin the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, may be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings Figure 1 shows in side elevation, a flying machine constructed in accordance with the invention; 7

Figure 2 is a cross section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a top plan;

Figure 4 is a longitudinal section;

Figure 5 is an elevation of one track;

Figure 6 is a cross section showing one of the tracks and attendant parts;

Figure 7 is an elevation showing a portion of one of the tracks and parts associated therewith; 1 c

Figure 8 is a view illustrating a portion of the steering mechanism;

Figure 9 is an elevation disclosing the switch and parts adjacent to the switch.

versed, to have a lifting effect on the machine,

The flying machine forming the subject matter of this application comprises a frame 1. h At the'forward end of the frame 1 and at the rear end thereof, there are lateral sustainingplanes 2. 'Acab 3 is located at the rear end of the frame 1. At the forward end of the frame 1 there is an engine'compartment 4. The frame 1,is carried on wheels 5, when in contact with the ground. The frame 1 includes upper rails 6, and lower rails 7, connected by curved portions 8. The upper rails 6,the'lower rails 7, and; the curved portions 8', are channel-shaped in cross section, as Figure 6 will show. The inner flanges 9 y of therails 6 and 7 and of the curved portions 8 are somewhat wider than the outer flanges 10. Loop-shaped tracks 11 are held in the frame parts 6, 7, and 8, and one of the tracks is shown in detail in Figures 5 and 9.

Each track 11 has a loop-shaped inner 6 groove 12 and an outerloop-shaped groove 14, separated by a rib 15, the grooves 12 and 14 merging into a single,substantially vertical straight groove'16 at the forward end of the track 11. The grooves 12 and let-diverge, asshown at 50 and at 51, at the ends of said single groove 16. The groove 12 and 14 comprise substantially parallel horizontal parts 17 located atthe top and at the bottom of the track 11. From therear ends of said parallel parts 17, the grooves 12 and 14 diverge, to a place 52 (Figure 5) of maximum separation, located approximately midway between the top and the bottom of the track 11, at the rear end of the track. e V Figure 9- shows that a pointed switch 53 is located at the place 50 where the grooves 12 and 14 diverge,,and thisswitch is located at one end of the rib 15. The switch 53 is mounted to swing ona pivot element 54, carried by the track 11, and at its upper end, the'switch has a heel55 that extends into the groove 14. A spring 56 is engaged With the end of the rib 15, and with the switch 53, the spring being engagedaround the pivot element 54.

The tendency of the spring 56 is to swing the switch 53 to the dotted position of Figure 9, the lower end of the switch being in engagement with the inner wall of the groove 12, the switch extending across the groove 12, but during an operation to be described hereinafter, the switch 53 can be swung to the solid line position of Figure 9, thelower end of the switch engaging the outer wall of the groove 14, the switch then extending across the groove 14. 7 g

The upper rails 6 and the lower rails 7 of i the frame 1 are connected by bearing posts 19.

The rails 6 and 7 are connected by struts 20, disposed between the posts-1'9, longitudinally of the frame 1, as Figure 1 will show. The

struts are connected by cross bars 21- (Figl 'ure 4),, and. the cross bars andthe struts carry .supports'22, on which are mounted internal" ofllinks of the sprocket chains 26 have ears 27 (Figures 6. and 7 in which are journaled short shafts 28,. carrying blades 29, located between the chains; 26.

. The shafts 28 have forks 30, including fingers 32., of the same length, one of these fingersbeing adapted to traverse the groove 14, the other of the fingers being adapted to traverse the groove 12, and both of the fingers being adapted totraverse the straight groove 1.6, as indicatedat the left hand end of Figure 5. The width of the groove 16 is approximately equal to the diameter of thefingers 32; the distance between the straight parallel parts 17 of the grooves'12 and14is less than the distance between the fingers 32 and the distance between, the grooves 12 and 14, at the place 52 of maximum separation (Figure 5) is approximatelyvequal to the distance be- 131 76611 6116 fingers 32.

7 When the engines 23 are put into operation, the shafts 24s are rotated, rotation being imparted to the sprocket wheels 25, and the sprocket chains 26 being driven. Start-- ing with the blade which is in the position shown at, 5? in Figure 5, this blade is: hori- Zontally disposed, at the rear end of the track 11, because the distance between the grooves 12 and 14, at the place 52 of maximum-separatiomis approximately equal to the distance between the fingers 32.- The outer end 58 of the blade 57 is moving faster than the inner end of the blade, and the back pressure of the air, inthe direction of the arrow A, at the outer end'of the blade, is

greater than the back pressure 'of the air at to lag behind the inner end of the blade, as the blade moves downwardly from the position shown zit/5'4- in Figure 5; and as the fingers 32 move into the straight parallel parts 1'? of the grooves 12 and 14, at the bottom of the track 11, the blades, now in the position shown at the bottom of Figure 4, will be forwardly inclined from their lower edges to their upper edges, and as the blades advance, in the direction of the arrow B in Figure 4, the blades will have a lifting effect upon the machine.

The blades arrive at the vertical position shown at 59 in Figure 5, the blades being erected into that position because the width of the single groove 16 is approximately equal" to the diameter of the fingers 32.

The switch 53 is held inthe dotted line position of Figure 9, with its lower end in engagement with the inner wall of the groove by the action of thevspring 56, the switch (intending across groove 12. The uppermost iin 'er 32 in Figure 9 therefore cannot enter the groove 12, but must move along the switch 53, and" enter the groove 14. The spacebetween the fingers 32 is greater than the length of the switch 53, and before the lowermost finger 32 in Figure 9 can follow the uppermost finger, and enter the groove '14, the uppermost finger will have engaged the heel 55 of the switch 53, and will have swung the switch, against the action of the spring 56, to the solid line position of Figure 9, with the lower-end of theswitch in engagement with the outer wall of the groove 14. switch 53 then extends across the groove 14, and directs the lowermost finger 32. of Figure 9 into the groove 12. As soon as the lowermost finger 32 is clear of the switch53, the switch swings back into the dottedline position of Figure 9, under the impulse of the spring 56.

The blade 29 now moves backwardly, in the direction of the arrow in Figure 4, the bladesbeingbackwardly inclined from their lower edges totheir upper edges, and having a lifting effect on the machine. The blades keep this position, and keep the oppositely inclinediposition shown at the bottom of theframe in Figure 4, since the distance between the parallel parts 17 of the grooves; 12 and 14is less than the distance between the fingers 32.

As the blades 29 move downwardly in the direction of the arrow D in Figure 5, the blades assume thehorizontal position shown at 57in that figure, because the grooves 12 and 14 diverge, from the rear ends of the parallel parts 17 of the grooves, to the place 52 of. maximum separation.

An engine 35 in the compartment 4 drives a propeller 36. Through the instrumentality of any suitable mechanism 37, the engine 35 is connected to a throttle lever 38 located in the cab 3, conveniently to the operators seat 39. In advance of the operators seat 39 is a steering wheel 40 connected to a shaft 41, journaled in the forward wall 42 of the cab 3. The shaft 41 has a depending arm 43, provided at its lower end with a fork 44, receiving the forward end of a lever 45 which is fulcrumed at 46 on the cab 3. The rear end of the lever 45 is engaged with a fork 47 carried by an offset from a vertical shaft 48, the shaft being journaled in bearings 49 on the cab 3. The shaft 48 carries a rudder 50.

It is clear that when the steering wheel 40 is rotated, the shaft 41 will operate the arm 43, and the arm will swing the lever 45, the lever rocking the shaft 48, by means of the fork 47, and imparting the necessary movement to the rudder 50.

The device is simple in construction, but it affords a means whereby an upward component may be imparted to the movement of a flying machine, the sustaining qualities of the machine being promoted.

What is claimed is 1. A flying machine provided with tracks, each track having loop-shaped inner and outer grooves which merge into a single substantially vertical groove at the forward end of the track, the loop-shaped grooves having upper and lower divergencies at the ends of said single groove, and comprising substantially parallel and horizontal parts located at the top and at the bottom of the tracks, the loop-shaped grooves diverging, from the rear ends of said parallel parts, to a place of maximum separation, located approximately midway between the top and the bottom of the track, at the rear end of the track, blades having fingers shaped to move in the respective loop-shaped grooves, and to move, together, in said single groove, means for holding the blades spaced, and means for moving the blades in an orbit, the distance between the parallel parts of the grooves being less than the distance between the fingers, the width of said single groove being approximately equal to the diameter of the fingers, and the distance between the grooves, at said place of maximum separation, being approximately equal to the distance between the fingers.

2. A flying machine constructed in accordance with claim 1, in combination with an automatically acting switch, yieldably actuated to a position in which it will shunt a forward finger of one blade into one loopshaped groove at the upper of said divergencies, the switch being movable by said forward finger to a position in which the switch will shunt a rear finger of the same blade into i the other of said loop-shaped grooves.

3. A flying machine constructed in accordance with claim 1, in combination with a pivotally mounted, automatically acting switch, yieldably actuated to a position in which it will shunt a forward finger of one blade into one loop-shaped groove atthe upper of said divergencies, the switch having a heel which projects into said one loop-shaped groove, said forward finger engaging the heel to move the switch to a position in which the switch will shunt a rear finger'of the same blade into the other of said loop-shaped grooves.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afiixed my signature.

JOHN J. HENRY. 

